Chapter 9: Wrap

Li Xiaoran picked up a twig and slowly drew a portrait on the beach. That focused expression, that face full of tenderness and affection, that love flowing from her eyes...

Cao Yang was just about to give a reminder when he saw Old Tian push the lens in, filming a close-up directly for twenty seconds, capturing it all.

According to the previous plan, this was a fixed long take, and it was not yet time to push in.

But his sensitivity as a director made Cao Yang think the same as Old Tian; this was a set of shots that would be hard to replicate, without the slightest trace of acting, everything so natural.

The character played by Ding Jiali walked over, squatted down, looked at the portrait on the sand, and asked, "Who is this?"

Li Xiaoran held the twig, her gaze never leaving the portrait. She tilted her head and re-examined the portrait, first with a gentle smile, then her expression dimmed, "It's him."

One sentence, one expression, conveyed a lot of information, allowing those outside the lens to understand.

Ding Jiali smiled, sighed imperceptibly, very lightly, turned her head and said, "Very good, is he that handsome?"

Li Xiaoran had a smile on her lips and tilted her head left and right to examine the portrait, "He doesn't look like this, but it's about the same."

Ding Jiali asked, "He has no hair?"

Li Xiaoran first shook her head, then nodded. Her face first held a mischievous smile, then quickly composed itself, becoming lonely, "He said he was already married and told me to forget him, so I punished him by making him bald."

Cao Yang couldn't help but touch the top of his head, feeling a chill. Wasn't this what he had just said to her a few days ago?

The lines were changed; originally it was "Shaved it off, he is bald," but it was changed by Li Xiaoran.

Cao Yang didn't call cut, just to see if Ding Jiali could keep up; the original lines were no longer applicable.

Ding Jiali had a moment of hesitation, then naturally followed up, "Is that so? Then let him be bald."

It was picked up very smoothly and naturally. It’s not about how well the lines were connected; when an actor encounters such an unexpected situation, being able to keep up with the scene without it being awkward is already the mark of a very powerful, skilled actor.

Without a doubt, Ding Jiali was a skilled actor; her acting was beyond reproach.

This was a 4-minute long take. If Ding Jiali had stumbled because Li Xiaoran changed the lines, a reel of film would have been wasted, and 1,500 yuan would have gone down the drain.

As the conversation between the two ended, they fell silent. Ding Jiali looked at Li Xiaoran with a look full of concern. Li Xiaoran gazed into the distance, her expression gradually becoming blurred, murmuring like a sleepwalker, "I wonder, will he miss me as much as I miss him?"

Ding Jiali’s compassion welled up, as if she were truly facing her best friend, and she couldn't help but gently hug Li Xiaoran, whispering, "He will, he will."

This was another line and action outside the script. It is said that good actors not only immerse themselves in the scene but also bring their counterparts into the scene, while simultaneously drawing the audience in as well.

Perhaps in Ding Jiali's eyes, Li Xiaoran was also a good actor, making her unable to help but get immersed in the scene herself.

Until this four-minute-long take was finished, everyone looked at Cao Yang, including Tian Zhuangzhuang.

These four minutes had too many unexpected things, too many ad-libbed lines and actions. Everyone knew that some directors, in order to highlight their authority and control the completion of the film, would absolutely not allow actors to change even a single word.

"Cut!"

"Roar..."

A few students from the Beijing Film Academy couldn't help but shout out. At this moment, they regarded this girl they had never heard of before as a natural talent. This acting was so damn awesome; it could make people get immersed in the scene along with her.

I'm afraid that for a long time to come, they will remember this girl named Li Xiaoran and use this as bragging rights.

"You call this good acting? You idiots, when I was filming with Director Cao, you know Li Xiaoran? That is the real deal, that acting..."

Similar words would likely not be few.

This film is generally divided into three acts: the first act is hiding abroad, the second act is returning to the country to see friends, and the third act is meeting the director. The last act can also be understood as an extension of the second act, the female lead's fantasy. This four-minute long take was the last shot of the first act. Because it was anticipated to be difficult to film, it was placed at the end. There were a few shots by the seaside in the second and third acts that had already been filmed.

To everyone's surprise, this seemingly most difficult shot was actually done in one take. Everyone felt it was incredible.

Now all the shots on Ludong Island were finished; the rest were almost all indoor shots, which could be done back in Jingshi.

Cao Yang called out, "Pack up, dinner tonight, back to Jingcheng tomorrow."

"Okay..."

Everyone cheered, including the reserved Old Tian. Today's last set of shots gave him another small shock.

Returning to Jingcheng to continue filming, Li Xiaoran gave the newly joined actors another "billion" small shocks.

When filming Li Xiaoran waiting for someone at the back door of a coffee shop, she sang a song of longing while smoking. At that moment, it was truly full of tenderness, curling like smoke, lingering in the heart for a long time, making the hearts of everyone present tremble slightly.

Fortunately, most of the supporting actors Cao Yang found were skilled, capable of keeping up with Li Xiaoran's acting.

Teacher Wang Jinsong teaches acting, so his strength goes without saying.

!

Don't look at Sun Honglei as a newcomer who has only played small supporting roles; he is very powerful in the theater world. He just won the Plum Blossom Prize not long ago, and his acting is beyond reproach.

The coal boss's mistress also studied acting, her foundation is okay, and since there aren't many shots, wasting a bit of film and shooting a few more times is acceptable.

It was Sister Feihong, who came specially, who had many scenes with Li Xiaoran. In comparison, she was ruthlessly crushed and failed to keep up with the scene several times.

Originally, I wanted to give Sister Feihong a few more shots, but perhaps the time was too short, and Sister Feihong might not have a deep understanding of the script, leading to her being a bit lackluster in front of Li Xiaoran.

Cao Yang felt he should take back his previous words: good actors can immerse themselves in the scene and bring their counterparts in, but the prerequisite is that the actors playing opposite must at least have decent acting skills, otherwise the contrast will definitely be tragic, and they won't be able to keep up with the scene.

So, Cao Yang changed to filming Sister Feihong's profile.

Especially when the two were playing at kissing, Li Xiaoran was naturally shy, and her emotional transition was just right, while Sister Feihong was okay at playing a cold fairy, but when playing shy, she appeared a bit stiff, and her expression was unnatural.

The contrast between the two was very obvious, and Sister Feihong was crushed again.

After filming six or seven takes in a row, Cao Yang was still not very satisfied.

Finally, after thinking about it, forget it. It's understandable that the expression is a bit stiff after being kissed. Let's shoot one more, and have her add a gesture of covering her face with both hands.

If you can't see her face, isn't that fine? No one will know if her expression is shy or stiff. I really am a smart cookie.

Cao Yang gave a thumbs up to his own wit.

Anyway, the highlight is not on Sister Feihong; this movie is Li Xiaoran's one-woman show.

Over the next ten days or so, the extramarital affair director played by Tian Zhuangzhuang appeared. Don't look at Old Tian as a big director; he is definitely not ambiguous when it comes to acting, and his acting is definitely that of a skilled actor.

The transformation and explosion of emotions came whenever he wanted, and even wailing was extremely natural.

Counting the time delayed, it took a total of twenty-seven days to finally finish all the shots. The moment Cao Yang announced the wrap, the whole crew cheered.

Except for Li Xiaoran.

(End of chapter)